Isogesis – This is where we bring our own presuppositions, opinions, backgrounds, biases, etc. to the text and make it say what we want it to say, instead of letting the text speak for itself.
Gratitude Sermon Series: Week # 1 “The Man Who Remembered to Say ‘Thank You'” Luke 17:11-19
Gratitude Sermon Series
The Man Who Remembered to Say “Thank You”
Luke 17:11-19
Introduction
Jesus tells a story about ten lepers who are healed. Two shocking facts are revealed. The first is that only one of them comes back to say, “Thank You.” The second is that that one who returned was a Samaritan. God’s grace is available to all people, even your enemy. We must be careful to not just receive God’s blessings, but to thank Him for them.
From Exclusion to Inclusion (vv. 11-14)
“On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed.
Jesus is on his final journey to Jerusalem[1], “The Lord was still in Perea when word reached Him of the serious illness of His friend Lazarus of Bethany. A few days later, He went to Bethany, raised Lazarus, and, because of the increasing plots against Him, retired to an unknown location. He took the disciples into retirement before going to face the final storm in Jerusalem.”[2]
The words “On the way to Jerusalem” remind the reader to the reader that Jesus is moving toward his passion. From where Jesus is you can almost see the city.
“he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance” – If you were a leper (today it’s called Hansen’s Disease), you had to announce yourself when you approached a person or group, in medieval times a leper would ring a bell, and yell “unclean!”[3] You had to stay at a distance or people would throw stones at you.
There were also varying local customary expectations, “Two rabbis disputing the question maintained, one, that it was not fit to come within a hundred cubits of a leper; the other within four cubits, when he stood between them and the wind. Another would not eat an egg if laid in a courtyard where a leper was.”[4]
“and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” – In the previous healing of the lepers[5] he touched them and they were healed, but here he tells them to, “14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”[6]
Jesus commands them to do what a cleansed leper was supposed to do. Yet they stood there, looking as though they had crawled from out of a grave, in various stages of decay and disfigurement, clothing torn from constant mourning, skeleton heads and sunken eyes layered with rags soaked in decaying and putrid flesh.
Leviticus 14:2 “The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “This shall be the law of the leprous person for the day of his cleansing. He shall be brought to the priest, . .” They are on their way to have the purification rights performed for them by the priests. “If they were cured, they would joyfully undergo an eight-day ceremony and then be reunited with their families.”[7]
“And as they went they were cleansed.” – This reminds us of the Old Testament story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5:10,14. “Naaman was a foreigner who was healed of leprosy by Elisha; Naaman was then converted to Israel’s faith.”[8] 14 “And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” . . . “14 So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.” As the men were going about doing what they were told to do, they were cured.
If you are absolutely on the bottom, you have nothing to lose in trying Jesus, and taking Him at His word. So, the consensus was to begin the leper’s pace of hobbling to the Temple, which would have been a considerable walk. There were no mirrors out on the road, but as these ten men begin the trip suddenly, they begin to see each other change.
“From cadaverous faces reemerged ears, noses, eyebrows, lashes, hairlines. Feet – toeless, ulcerated stubs – were suddenly whole, bursting through small little sandals, Knobby appendages grew fingers. Barnacled skin became soft and supple. It would have been like being born again. The dust of a wild celebration quickly began in the bright sunlight.”[9]
From Inclusion to Perception (vv. 15-19)
15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner[10]?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”
Why does the one turn and head back to Jesus once “he saw that he was healed?” As he is running to the Temple, he realizes that he has been healed, and then realizes that Jesus is something more than he understood and he returns because he perceives that there is more to life, than to be cured and to return to a “normal life.”
So the one leper “turned back” – “ceremony must yield to substance, and that main points of obedience must take place of all ritual complements.”[11] “Christ had ordered it, and the Law demanded it. But the letter killeth. Love overrules Acts of Parliament. The nine held by the Law, but the one got the grace.”[12]
Jacob wrestling with God – you have to deal with your relationship with God. Genesis 32:22ff.
“Now he was a Samaritan[13]” – The lepers were all together, Jews and Samaritans – when you are a leper, politics, racism, Jewish history really doesn’t matter. When you are a social outcast, hated by society, the lowest of the low, and having to beg to eat, there is no hope for you to be anything but a leper, and eventually die.
To be a leper was awful, but to add the fact he was a Samaritan just doubled the fact that he was an outcast. But as the one man was healed, he had a choice to run to the temple, begin the ceremony and rejoin his family, or go back and thank God for his healing. If he waited, he may not be able to find him to thank him.
“It is the Gentile, the Samaritan, the outcasts and sinners, who respond enthusiastically to the offer of the Good News. Unlike the religious and proud, who assume that their piety guarantees their salvation, the outcasts and sinners assume no such thing (see 18:9-14) and eagerly accept God’s gracious invitation (see 14:15-24). The foreigner is the only one who came back to give thanks to God, because only he recognized his sin and his need to repent.”[14]
So, at this point the Jewish 9 separated from the 1 Samaritan. Their illness had drawn them together, but their freedom caused them to separate. What do you do with the freedom that Christ has given you? For these men they are free to go to their homes, begin working again, rejoin society – feel the touch of others, to be accepted by people. That overwhelming desire to belong, outweighed the spiritual obligation to be thankful.[15]
What marks the difference between the 10 lepers is not that one is thankful, and the other nine are ungrateful. The difference is that one of the them has the perception to understand who Jesus is. If you are cured then you only need Jesus (miracle worker) once, if you seek Jesus for salvation (Son of God) then you need Him every day.
The nine lepers were cured of their bodily disease (leprosy), they were not aware that they had not been cured of their spiritual disease. 2 Peter 1:9 “For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.”
When you understand God to be right before you, you don’t run away from Him, you throw yourself at His feet. When Mary realizes that it was Jesus after He had risen from the dead, she grabs Him and does not let Him go. John 20:16-17a “Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, . . .”
“praising God with a loud voice”— He wanted everyone to know that Jesus had healed him. Earlier, he had pleaded in a loud voice, now he is praising in a loud voice? Who is it that is the most thankful to God? It is those that realize how really sick they are:
Matthew 9:12-13 “And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
“Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner[16]?” – Jesus fully expected that all ten would return. God should be at the center of their gratitude.
But their focus was here and now, temporal. Anyone can be thankful for something, but it is including the eternal God as the ultimate source of all that we have to be thankful for that is essential. Christ wanted these men’s hearts, not just their thanks. The nine missed an opportunity to be with Jesus. The nine missed being saved.
The Jewish people were looking for a Savior, a promised Messiah (Genesis 3), if anyone should have recognized Jesus as the Messiah it should have been the Jewish people, but here a Samaritan is the one who received salvation.
“19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” – “you may proceed to the priest with the assurance that you are thoroughly cured.”[17] The Samaritan leper put God in His proper place in his life, before he started to reorder and put his life back together after his illness. His perception of who Jesus was came from a heart of gratitude.
The other nine are healed, but without God being at the center of their lives and understanding that it is God who heals us, blesses us, saves us, and has a purpose and plan for our lives – then it won’t be very long before the other nine will be sick again – maybe not form leprosy but from a life where God is not the center.
In the original language where it says, “your faith has made you well” it literally says, “your faith has saved you.”[18] The nine had received a cure, the one received a cure and salvation. The one had leprosy on the outside which was healed, but he also had a spiritual leprosy on the inside that was healed as well. Gratitude allows you to be in place of receiving far more than you had anticipated and understanding an even deeper need.
The one is described as both a “Samaritan” emphasizing genealogy and “foreigner” emphasizing nationality. It doesn’t matter what your last name is or where you came from – salvation is received by faith in Jesus.[19] There is an inscription from the limestone block from the Temple of Israel which reads, “Let not the foreigner enter within the screen and enclosure surrounding the sanctuary.”[20]
Where once those who were not Jewish were kept outside – we could not enter into presence of God. But through the healing and cure of Jesus’ death on a cross – we can have salvation and enter into His presence.
The big idea of this passage is that there were people who were excluded, kept outside (because of a disease) that were allowed to enter back into society by being healed, which was emphasized by the fact that one of them was a Samaritan. Then one of the ten were allowed into God’s eternal presence through salvation that came through faith in Jesus.
We should show gratitude toward God because we have been healed of our sin and are now allowed to come into the presence of God and have eternal life. From Exclusion to Inclusion. We show genuine gratitude because it gives us perception to understand that all things come from God and He involved with every aspect of our lives.
This story also shows us that faith and salvation have to merge together. The nine men believed in God, they obeyed what was commanded to them, but once physically healed we don’t have any indication they ever came back. In order for a person to be saved, faith and Jesus have to come together. Just believing in God is not enough, we have to have a relationship with Jesus. We have to perceive that life is more than just getting what we want here and now, but there is an eternal purpose and plan for our lives.
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[1] Luke 9:51
[2] John Phillips, Exploring The Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Kregel Publications, 2005) 225.
[3] Leviticus 13:45; Numbers 5:2; 12:10-12
[4] George R. Bliss, An American Commentary on the New Testament, Mark and Luke (Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; Judson Press, 1881) 261.
[5] Matthew 8:1-4
[6] The is no written record that this ritual was ever even performed (Phillips, 226).
[7] R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word, Luke (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2015) 604.
[8] Fred B. Craddock, Interpretation. A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville, Kentucky; John Knox Press, 1990) 204.
[9] Hughes, 604.
[10] This is the only time in the New Testament that this word (foreigner) is used (Green, 626).
[11] J. Willcock, B.D. A Homiletic Commentary on the Gospel According to St. Luke (New York, New York; Funk and Wagner Company; 1896) 472.
[12] Ibid, 472.
[13] “The region of Samaria in Old Testament times (tenth to eighth centuries BC) was inhabited by the ten northern tribes of Israel. Following the death of Solomon, the northern tribes seceded from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin in the south. The southern kingdom became known as Judah, while the northern kingdom was initially known as Israel, until it eventually came to be called Samaria after its capital city. In the eight century Samaria was overrun by the Assyrians. Its inhabitants were exiled, and in their place foreign peoples were settled. In the centuries that followed a half-Jewish and half-Gentile race of people emerged with which the Jews of Judah to the south and of Galilee to the north frequently quarreled and whom the Jews loathed” (Evans, 258).
[14] Craig A. Evans, New International Biblical Commentary, Luke (Peabody, Massachusetts; Hendrickson, Publishers, 2005) 256.
[15] “The story anticipates what is yet to come in Acts: a growing blindness in Israel, a receptivity among Gentiles. Why was this the case? Israel’s special place in God’s plan for the world had turned in upon itself, duty had become privilege, and frequent favors had settled into blinding familiarity (Phillips, 203).”
[16] This is the only time in the New Testament that this word foreigner is used (Green, 626).
[17] Bliss, 262.
[18] Hughes 606.
[19] Joel B. Green, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997) 621.
[20] A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Luke (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1932) 228.
Seeking Wisdom in Difficult Days A Study of James The Power of Prayer James 5:13-19
Seeking Wisdom in Difficult Days
A Study of James
The Power of Prayer
James 5:13-19
Introduction
James concludes his writing with one last big idea. “The main thrust of this section is the power of prayer and its appropriateness in every situation of life. Prayer is encouraged in times of distress (v. 13), elation (v. 13), sickness (v. 14), and sin (v. 15-16a) and in assisting fellow Christians in striving for righteousness and spiritual health (16a).”[1]
Prayer
My Response to Life Is to Pray and to Praise (vv. 13-15)
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
Suffering
“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray” The word suffering does not just refer to bodily illnesses, but rather it means “adversity,” “suffering hardship.” It is the stress of a strenuous circumstance that leads to an action, or a reaction. Its when a person has experienced hardship and now they are affected by the situation. What is the first thing we do or say when hardship, stress, and adversity comes our way?
If we are the person suffering, we are told to pray, but not just one time but as an ongoing habit.[2] “Prayer is a blessing to the heart and to the mental life. It is good to talk with God and our worry disappears in the presence of the Lord.
So, what should we pray for? There are times when we are so stressed and suffering so much we don’t even know what to say, or what to pray for. Often times we want to hardship and suffering to end and we pray for the pain to stop.
Paul prayed that the “thorn of his flesh” would be removed. It wasn’t. Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane “that this cup would pass from me.” It didn’t. You can pray for it to end, but sometimes that’s the season you are in. So, here are some things that you could pray for:
Wisdom (James 1:5) One of the things we will see later in the text is that people are watching how you are going to respond – so we need wisdom to respond and deal with the suffering appropriately. Many a foolish word and action has been done while people are under suffering, but God has promised to give you the wise words to say, and the wise action to take, if we ask Him.
Endurance – stress and suffering will over time take it toll on your spirit, your body, your health, so as God for strength to endure.
Reading and Studying the Word of God – as you read and study it, take God’s Word and pray it back to God. When you don’t know what to say, let God give you the Words to say.[3]
Smiling
“Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise” James starts with someone being low, and then turns to someone’s mood being cheerful. How then should we respond when things are good, delightful, and over all calm? Prayer and praise are the Christian’s emotional outlet. When we are troubled we pray, when we are cheerful, we sing. We also should avoid the temptation to pray less when things are good. If times are hard, we pray. If times are good, we pray.
Sick
“14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders[4] of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”
If the person is sick they are to call for the elders (plural) of the church. This was already a Jewish custom for the town elders to be called in for prayer when a person was very ill. The emphasis was on the praying, (not healing) and continues the theme from the earlier verses.[5]
The same phrase for “anointing with oil” is used in the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:34 “He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.” Olive oil was thought to have medicinal properties and was used in a wide variety of ailments.
There is a lot of misunderstanding surrounding this verse. For example, Roman Catholics use this verse to support their idea of Extreme Unction – which prepares a person for death, but the intention of the text is to continue life.[6] There are no miracle healers, no matter what they say, no one can lay hands on someone and miraculously heal them. It also is not a mandate to not seek medical attention.
“Some may wonder why James does not mention calling in the doctor! That is where it is needful to keep in mind the New Testament setting of the epistle. Doctors were few in those days; their skills very limited, and they were very expensive – as the woman with the issue of blood, who had spent all her substance in consulting them, in vain, so sadly experienced (Luke 8:43).”[7] The sick Christian today calls the doctor, but James is emphasizing the power of prayer for the sick. It is both, not either or.
The spirit, the mind, and the body are one unit – all need healing, all are affected by our sin, our repentance, and our relationship with other believers.
So, while there may be lots to discuss about the anointing with oil, the basic idea is to surround yourself with leaders from your church who pray with you, when you are gravely ill.
So, the question then is why elders verses any other Christian? Why the pastors, verses people from your Sunday School class? This text is not easy to interpret, so I am going to give you my interpretation. This book was written to the persecuted church, who had been scattered – people had to leave their ancestorial homes, reestablish homes, businesses, and create new lives – while also having to live with the reality that as soon as you do this, you may have to do it again. They were beaten, many were slaves, and they still are living under persecution.
This person who is gravely ill could be sick from all this stress, perhaps abuse from persecution, and they may even be asking, “why is this happening to me?” What have I done to deserve this illness?”[8]
What they need are people to say, “The Lord is with us, You made the right decision by following Christ,” to appropriately rub their wounds with care and concern, and to share Scripture with them, pray with them as they are working out this horrible time in their life.
Jesus in his healing ministry often touched those who were sick. “He touched the hand of Peter’s wife’s mother, and the fever left her (Matt. 8:15); when two blind men called upon Him to have mercy on them, He asked, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” and on their reply, “Yes, Lord” He touched their eyes saying, “according to your faith, be healed,” (Matt. 9:29). He touched the tongue of a deaf-mute (Mark 7:33); He touched the ear of Malchus (Luke 7:14); He touched the leper and made him clean (Luke 15:13); In none of these cases did Jesus need to touch them, He could have done this with a word.”[9]
The sin here may be related to how he has reacted to the stress of the persecution the church is experiencing. They may have lost their temper, grumbled against another church member, got in a fight, who knows what the sin may have been, but they need help in navigating back to God and seeking forgiveness. (which in many ways brings a different kind of healing).
But the result of the elders prayers is two-fold, “(1) the sick person is made well (sozo)’ and (2) the Lord will raise him up (egeiro).”[10]
God’s Response to Our Prayers (vv. 16-18)
16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
Whenever we see the word, “therefore” what follows is tied to what came before this word. We are to pray when are suffering, sing when we are cheerful, surround ourselves with fellow Christians when we are ill who are praying for us, therefore –
In order to confess our sins to one another there has to be a high level of trust and love.
Matthew 5:23-24 “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”
The power of a righteous person is focused here on interaction with other people. A righteous person is asking forgiveness for sins (from others publicly that they have wronged), they are praying for the sick, for other believers, and a great amount of effort is going into praying.
“The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” This means that the righteous person is able to do, or is enabled to do (by the Holy Spirit) – their prayer has a powerful effect. “Such a prayer can have noticeable consequences on a person whose sickness is the result of sin, as long as (or especially if) the sin has been confessed.”[11]
In the original language of James it reads, “prayer to pray” “The Scottish Covenanters used to speak of “gaining access,” – There is a difference between just saying a prayer, and in our praying really to pray: to know that we are not only communing with God, but are constrained to express in prayer the yearnings of the heart of God Himself. That is the “effectual fervent prayer.”
James then gives the example of Elijah, 1 Kings 18:42-45 “And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. 43 And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” And he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go again,” seven times. 44 And at the seventh time he said, “Behold, a little cloud like a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.’” 45 And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain.”[12]
He had his weaknesses, as all humans do, but God heard the prayers of Elijah. James is emphasizing Elijah’s effort in prayer, that is why God sent the rain when he asked.
“with a nature like ours” The same man who is mentioned in 1 Kings 18, (a righteous man of prayer) is also the same man in 1 Kings 19 – who runs scared for his life from Jezebel.
He is emphasizing that what Elijah did was not “a magical performance of a superhuman being but the act of man in all regards exactly like ourselves, who simply used prayer as we can likewise use.”[13] Elijah dared to take God at his word.[14]
Elijah’s prayers “resulted in the refreshing rain coming down to the earth, so the prayer of the righteous believer can result in the refreshing and healing of a Christian afflicted by sickness caused by sin.”[15]
Our Response to the Wandering Sinner (v. 19)
19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
The very last verse of the book of James deals with a brother in Christ who has wandered from the “truth.” They have believed the lie of the world and have been enticed away. The Greek word for wanders has the “picture of one who is lost in the mountains, who has missed his path. . .”[16]
1 Peter 4:8 “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”
This last verse speaks of going after someone who has gone astray because you love them (not in judgement, or spite, or to show them that you are right), but simply acknowledging that they are headed into a dangerous area, and you love them enough to pursue them.
The verse is not saying to accept the person’s sin and flaws, but when the person repents the love for them is going to give you ability to see past their previous mistakes. Proverbs 24:24-25 “Whoever says to the wicked, “You are in the right,” will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations, 25 but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon them.”
The church is not a country club, a fraternity or sorority, or Kiwanis – membership is open to all based on one condition, and it is one that everyone who calls themselves a Christian must hold to, repentance. All of us have sinned and fallen short, and we all must repent and turn to the forgiveness of Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:18 “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” Our collective ministry is to go after the wandering world and reconcile them back to God. In the instances of Jesus’ healing mentioned earlier, Jesus was going to them, or passed by them as “he was going.” Jesus took the initiative, we must take the initiative.
Also, there is no incentive to go after a wandering brother for you, the benefit is that the person may return. Love for someone else is the sole motivation, and this comes from our being aligned with the purpose and calling of Christ. James says, “will save his soul from death”
This life is filled with pain and suffering, and many times it is the result/consequence of our sin. When we reconcile a sinner back to the Lord, we are saving them from this eventual pain and suffering.
“James presents the joy of the winner of souls who throws the mantle of love over the sins of the repentant sinner, the joy of the Shepherd who has found the lost sheep out on the mountain and is returning with him in his arms, the joy of the Father who welcomes the prodigal boy home with the best robe and the fatted calf, the joy of the presence of the angels that one sinner has repented and turned unto God.”[17]
The end result of the wanderer being restored to the Lord, and that he is not remembered, not branded, as the person who sinned and wandered away, the sin is remembered no more.
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[1] Clifton Allen, Gen. Ed., The Broadman Bible Commentary, Volume 12 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Publishing, 1973) 136.
[2] Pray is given as a present tense of durative action. Robertson, 186.
[3] Lehman Strauss, James, Your Brother (Neptune, New Jersey; Loizeaux Brothers, 1980) 208.
[4] “The expression “elder” designates persons entrusted with leadership and teaching in the church (Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2; 16:4; 20:17; 21:28; 1 Tim. 5:17-19; Titus 1:5; 1 Peter 5:1,2; 2 John 1).” Pheme Perkins, Interpretation A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, First and Second Peter, James, and Jude (Louisville, Kentucky; John Knox Press, 1982) 136.
[5] Allen, 137.
[6] Ibid, 138.
[7] Herbert F. Stevenson, James Speaks For Today (Westwood, New Jersey; Fleming H. Revell Company, 1966) 95.
[8] Peter H. Davids, New International Biblical Commentary, James (Peabody, Massachusetts; Hendrickson Publishing, 1989) 122.
[9] Stevenson, 96.
[10] David P. Nystrom, The NIV Application Commentary, James (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing House, 1997) 307.
[11] Nystrom, 307.
[12] Elijah’s prayer was for God’s people to turn back to Him, and he did this by praying for a drought. God’s people would suffer during this time. It is given as an example and is linked to other Christians who are praying for other sick or wayward believers. Therefore, one may pray for hardship to come upon someone in order to get them to turn back to God.
[13] George Arthur Buttrick, The Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 12 (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1957) 72.
[14] Strauss, 222.
[15] Nystron, 308.
[16] Allen, 196.
[17] Ibid, 199.
Suggested Commentaries for Your Next Study of the Book of James
Biography for my sermon series on James:
Adamson, James. The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Epistle of James. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979.
Allen, Clifton J, General Editor. The Broadman Bible Commentary, Volume 12. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman Press, 1973.
Arnold, Clinton E, General Editor. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Press, 2001.
Buttrick, Arthur. The Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 12. Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 1957.
Davids, Peter H. New International Biblical Commentary, James. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishing, 1989.
Moo, Douglas. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, James. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1985.
Nystrom, David P. The NIV Application Commentary, James. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing, 1997.
Perkins, Pheme. Interpretation A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, First and Second Peter, James, and Jude. Louisville, Kentucky: John Knox Press, 1982.
Phillips, John. Exploring the Epistles of James. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publishing, 2004.
Robertson, A. T. Studies in the Epistle of James. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman Press, 1959.
Stevenson, Hebert F. James Speaks For Today. Westwood, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1966.
Strauss, Lehman. James, Your Brother. Neptune, New Jersey: Loizeaux Brothers, 1980.
Stulac, George M. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, James. Downers Grove, Illinois: Intervarsity Press, 1993.
Wiersbe, Warren W. Be Mature, James. Colorado Springs, Colorado: David C. Cook Publishing, 1978. (I used an updated version of this book but could not find the date).
Seeking Wisdom in Difficult Days A Study of James The Power of Patience James 5:7-12
Seeking Wisdom in Difficult Days
A Study of James
The Power of Patience
James 5:7-12
Introduction
Two frogs fell into a tub of cream. One looked at the high sides of the tub which were too difficult to crawl over and said, “It is hopeless.” So he resigned himself to death, relaxed, and sank to the bottom. The other one determined to keep swimming as long as he could. “Something might happen,” he said. He kept kicking and churning, and finally he found himself on a solid platform of butter and jumped to safety.[1]
Prayer
The Necessity of Patience (vv. 7-11)
7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
Remember that the book of James is written to the church that has been scattered from Jerusalem to various parts of the Roman Empire because of persecution. The scattered church and this process of reestablishing their homes, businesses, and lives would have been very stressful and demanding. “In times of hardship tempers are apt to wear thin and ‘grumbling,’ not merely against oppressors but against one another, is only too likely to occur.”
And during these times of difficulty, we are to be patient. The words patient, wait, and steadfast in verses 7-12 is used seven times. To be patient is to endure without complaining (see v. 9). The word complains or grumble means literally to groan. To verbally make a sound in reaction to life’s situation. But the grumbling comments are made against fellow believers. To be steadfast is to resist the temptation to take your frustration with life out on another believer – to blame them for problems the church was encountering.
Hebrews 12:1 “. . . let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, . . .” Long distance runners know they have to run at a certain pace, and they have to build up endurance in order to go the long distance. (“testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” James 1:3)
The church only has to wait “until the return of the Lord,” and it seems that the Christians in James’ day thought Jesus’ return was overdue.[2] The church knows that when Jesus returns then the persecution and hardship will end.
The doctrine of Jesus’ return is a core biblical Christian belief, so what happens when it gets ignored or pushed back in importance? What happens when the church forgets about Jesus’s return? When we hold to the belief that Jesus could return at any moment, then we live each day as if it were the last day you will live on this planet. You are not promised another day to live for the Lord, or to get your stuff together – we have today, this moment.
If you knew for certain Jesus was coming tomorrow and that those apart from the Lord would be separated from you fand Him or all eternity you would make the drive, make the phone call, make the effort that you have not done up to this point – because you think you have all the time in the world.
“Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast” – The term “blessed” is reserved for those who have been found faithful to the end.[3]
The Example of the Farmer
To help us understand this idea of waiting James gives the example of the farmer and how he has to wait. In Palestine there were two rainy seasons. The early rain was when they would sow the grain (Oct.-Nov.) and then the late rain (April-May) that stimulated the growth for the maturing of the crop.[4]
The farmer needed these two rains in order to have a good crop. He had to wait for the rain to come. The farmer has to trust that the rain is coming – but it is the rain’s coming that determines the success of the crop. “If the farmer could not hope for the rains, all the plowing and planting and weeding would be futile.”[5]
The two rains are analogous to Christ’s first advent and then His second coming. When Christ first arrived as an infant and then leading to his eventual crucifixion that planted the seeds of the gospel and the plan of salvation for all of mankind – then after he was raised from the dead, he promised to return and gather the harvest – two rains, two appearances of Christ.
T. Robertson said, “Some of them no longer had a taste for the slow work of plowing, sowing, and reaping, forgetting what Jesus had said of the gradual growth of the kingdom of God from seed to harvest.”[6]
There is much to do at each stage of the process, the soil must be prepared and fertilized, the seed must be sow, the plants must be watered, there has to be proper levels of sunlight and temperature. Animals have to be kept off the plants, and the when the farmer has done all he knows to do he has to give the plants time to grow.
We live in a day when you can text someone in Brazil and get an immediate response, even pull them up on your phone and talk with them on video. If you want to know an answer you can google it, and know instantly the circumference of the earth, or the molecular weight of a gas.
When it comes to life we want it right now – the early church had to be reminded to be patient. How much more in our day, do we need to be reminded that Christ is faithful, we just need to be steadfast.
“The term parousia (presence, coming) was used in the first century to refer to the arrival of kings or highly esteemed persons, and it was used by Christians to refer specifically to the return of Jesus in glory.”[7] People were mocking the Christians as to why Jesus had not returned, and even. Other believers were grumbling about the Lord’s delay.
So Peter responds with 2 Peter 3:8-10 “8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” The Lord, like the farmer, is waiting to return until the harvest can be as many people as possible. If the farmer harvests to crop too soon, he is shortcutting his eventual total crop.
“the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth” The fruit that the farmer grows and waits for is described as precious (valuable) fruit.[8] This is a reminder that there is something worth enduring the persecution, the waiting, hardship, bickering within the church – it is all worth it because the fruit being produced are souls being saved.
Desmond Doss, Hacksaw Ridge Soldier, saved 75 souls without ever carrying a gun – illustration “Lord please help me get one more.”
We as believers and followers of Christ have the unique privilege of watching the crop grow. Those of us who have been at it a while, remember when the seeds were just planted in a person’s heart, then to watch the tiny sprig of green show above the soil, then even to see the plant in its maturity.
“Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand” In Mark 1:15 Jesus [and John the Baptist] say, “the kingdom of God is at hand.” When we establish our hearts, we are to renew our courage and confidence in the work of the Lord. Doing church work, seeking to faithfully follow the Lord, can be exhausting and sometimes very discouraging, and at other times we see why there is time given to someone – God’s grace in their lives. We need to grow as people, others need to grow as people.
For the early church there was persecution and they were forced to move around. They were tired, discouraged, feeling abandoned, and even betrayed by other believers. But, the Lord could return at any moment, all that has been foretold that needed to happened before He would come back has been accomplished.
Isaiah 35:3 “Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 4 Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”
“Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.” With Christ’s return coming at any moment, now is not the time to grumble, we are to be patient. James tells us that if we do grumble against our brothers in the Lord, then there will be judgement against that type of behavior.
Christ is the judge, and he is close “at the door.” Jesus even says in Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” That either a terrifying concept or a delightful picture – it depends on your relationship with the Lord. Are you ready to open the door when the judge on the universe knocks on the door?
The Example of Job
“You have heard of the steadfastness of Job[9]” – James gives Job as an example of patience during a time of hardship. In the opening chapter of the book of Job Satan slanders Job saying to God that the only reason that he follows Him/God is because he has blessed “the work of his hands.”
Satan said to God, “But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” Job questioned, but he continued to love and follow the Lord – even when his own wife said, “curse God and die,” and even when the world around him was crumbling.
“and you have seen the purpose of the Lord” – The end result of Job experiencing total loss and devastation was that Job was restored, God “blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning.” (Job 42:12) We are able to see (even though Job would never know) behind the spiritual curtain of what was going on in Job’s life.
Job’s “supreme triumph was this: that despite testings so severe that, beside them, all that we experience pales into insignificance, he did not fail in faith. He clung to the integrity of his trust in God; his deep inward certainty of the character of God; and that ultimately vindicated. God is living; God is Lord; God is just and righteous – and would show it: that is what mattered more than life itself to Job. That was patience.”[10]
We are “to remain faithful and not yield to the temptation to abandon God in the belief that he is less than a God of love and mercy, they will see for themselves the goodness of God as Job did and ultimately be able to praise him for his kindness and compassion.”[11]
The Need to Keep Your Word (v. 12)
12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.
“But above all, my brothers” James now begins to sum up the book, so he says, “finally,” or “to sum up,” my brothers.
Matthew 5:34-37 “But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”
James says again and again throughout the book, that the words that you say are of great value – he has warned that our words should have weight, and not be empty clichés, like saying to a starving man, “go in peace, I will pray for you.”
In verse 12, he is warning against making oaths by something (God, heaven, your own head, etc.). For the Christian when we speak it should be truth, and there is no need to swear by something – simply when we say “yes” or “no” that is enough.
“An oath could be seemingly convincing yet no be binding upon the swearer. Consequently, bargaining became a battle of wits between subtle-minded people, in making oaths and detecting their loopholes. Inevitably, oaths tended to become increasingly extravagant and complex.”[12]
Part of this word play was to swear by God but the Jewish people were forbidden to say His name so they were creative in swearing by God by associating the swear by the things of God (i.e. the Temple, the gold in the Temple, the alter, Heaven, etc.)
To involve God and His name in the daily deal making in the market place was wrong. This was to “violate the spirit if not the letter of the first commandment; it was to associate the High and Holy One with the bickering of bargaining: with sordid squabbles and petty gossip.”[13] Jesus and James are saying stop trying to get out of things, or to get on over on someone – just speak clearly, “let your yes, be yes and your no be no.”
We looked at a some material that we go through in the New Attenders Class and part of our discussion we ask the question, what is the difference between a member and an attender? It is one word, commitment. If you are a member of Bellevue Baptist Church then your commitment is to the Lord and His church Bellevue Baptist Church.
Now is the time to “establish your heart” in the work the church and seeing people saved.
___________________________
[1] Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations & Quotes, Robert Morgan https://ministry127.com/resources/illustration/two-frogs-in-cream
[2] Clifton J. Allen, Broadman Bible Commentary, Volume 12 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1973) 134.
[3] David P. Nystrom, The NIV Application Commentary, James (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1997) 287.
[4] Allen, 134.
[5] George M. Stulac, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, James (Downers Grove, Illinois; Intervarsity Press, 1993) 171.
[6] A. T. Robertson, Studies in the Epistle of James (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1959) 178.
[7] Allen, 134.
[8] Stulac, 170.
[9] This is the only reference to Job in the New Testament (Allen, 135.)
[10] Herbert F. Stevenson, James Speaks for Today (Westwood, New Jersey; Fleming H. Revell Company, 1966) 88.
[11] Allen, 135.
[12] Stevenson, 89.
[13] Ibid, 90.
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